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Indy 500 Qualifying
Indy 500 Qualifying Preview
Marshall Pruett and Robin Miller handicap the 40 drivers that will attempt to fill the 33 spots available during qualifying for the 2011 Indy 500.IndyCar admirers can attending advanced to the best aggressive time trials at the Indy 500 in ages as at atomic 40 drivers attack to accomplish the acreage this weekend for the Centennial event.
With the new knock-out qualifying format still in place, Pole Day should be rather dramatic, provided the weather cooperates.
Pole for the Indy 500 will go to the fastest driver from the final session, and the top 9 will also be set from that session. On Sunday, qualifying goes from 12 to 6 p.m. ET to set positions 25 though 33.
The 33 cars that qualified for the 2010 race were bracketed between 223.634 and 227.970. Making the 2011 field could see a minimum speed of at least 224.2 to 224.5 to keep playing,
Here’s SPEED.com’s look at how each driver could fare this weekend at Indy:
Team: Newman/Haas Racing
Car No.: 2
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Pruett Says: Servia’s Newman/Haas team has been fast so far this month—just on the tail end of the monster teams up front. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Telemundo car make the Fast 9 on Saturday.
Driver: Helio Castroneves
Team: Team Penske
Car No.: 3
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 1
Pruett Says: With three poles for the 500 in the last four years, it would be risky to choose anyone other than this era’s Indy specialist.
Driver: JR Hildebrand
Team: Panther Racing
Car No.: 4
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Miller Says: Fastest rookie and top 9 looking realistic.
Driver: Takuma Sato
Team: KV Racing Technology
Car No.: 5
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 31
Miller Says: Somewhere in the middle for Taco.
Driver: Ryan Briscoe
Team: Team Penske
Car No.: 6
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position:4
Pruett Says: Briscoe has been strong this month, but is still trying to move ahead of his teammates. Of the top drivers in the field, Briscoe is one who needs to focus most on the race. Where he qualifies is somewhat irrelevant.
Driver: Danica Patrick
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car No.: 7
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 23
Miller Says: Always quick, no worse than Row 4.
Driver: Ho-Pin Tung
Team: Dragon Racing
Car No.: 8
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position:Did Not Participate
Miller Says: Surprisingly calm and smooth, but driving for a team that's done no Indy 500 prep means the Dutch/Chinese driver is a risk to watch the race from the hospitality suite.
Driver: Scott Dixon
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Car No.: 9
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 6
Miller Says: The sleeper for the pole position.
Driver: Dario Franchitti
Team: Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Car No.: 10
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 3
Miller Says: Won't show his hand until it counts.
Driver: Davey Hamilton
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Car No.: 11
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 14
Pruett Says: With a lot of fast cars trying to make the field, Hamilton isn’t safe, but he should scrape in.
Driver: Will Power
Team: Team Penske
Car No.: 12
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 2
Pruett Says: My dark horse selection for pole. Power’s confidence on ovals is higher than ever. Based on qualifying second at Indy last year, he’s ready to move up one spot if Helio shows any weakness.
Driver: Vitor Meira
Team: A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Car No.: 14
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 30
Miller Says: Among the leaders all week, plans to stay there.
Driver: Raphael Matos
Team: AFS Racing
Car No.: 17
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 12
Pruett Says: Matos knows his way around Indy and they have a smart little team at AFS, but they have to be concerned about making the field in their first 500 together.
Driver: James Jakes
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Car No.: 18
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Pruett Says: Only one rookie has looked out of sorts this month, and it has been Jakes. He needs more time and more miles before he'll make the grade.
Driver: Alex Lloyd
Team: Dale Coyne Racing
Car No.: 19
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 26
Pruett Says: Lloyd had a phenomenal race to a fourth-place finish last year, but his team has been struggling to find the right setup this month. The Englishman will likely muscle his way into the field, but it won’t be easy.
Driver: Scott Speed
Team: Dragon Racing
Car No.: 20
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position:Did Not Participate
Miller Says: Speed: Needs more of it.
Driver: Justin Wilson
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Car No.: 22
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 11
Pruett Says: Wilson impressed with a run to 11th last year with Dreyer & Reinbold, but speed hasn’t been as easy to find this year for JWill and DRR at Indy. Hard to see how the lanky Brit matches his performance from a year ago.
Driver: Paul Tracy
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Car No.: 23
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Miller Says: Won't miss the show this year.
Driver: Ana Beatriz
Team: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Car No.: 24
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 21
Pruett Says: The Brazilian was solid at Indy on her debut in 2010, but with a change in engineers, Beatriz has struggled all year. She could be a threat in a bigger team, but failing to qualify is a very real possibility for ‘Bia.’
Driver: Marco Andretti
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car No.: 26
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 16
Miller Says: Struggling unexpectedly.
Driver: Mike Conway
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car No.: 27
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 15
Pruett Says: The Long Beach winner has been slow all month. Conway isn’t afraid of Indy after his big crash in 2010, but he’s early in his oval career and the setup knowledge is still building. Could an Andretti driver miss the field?
Driver: Ryan Hunter-Reay
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car No.: 28
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 17
Pruett Says: Hunter-Reay will make the show, but will he have enough speed to be a factor on race day?
Driver: Bertrand Baguette
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Car No.: 30
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 24
Pruett Says: The Belgian is back for his second Indy 500 and should make the show with RLLR. Qualifying in the mid-teens would be a major accomplishment for ‘3B.’
Driver: Sebastian Saavedra
Team: Conquest Racing
Car No.: 34
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 32
Pruett Says: Conquest usually finds speed on ovals, but so far this month, Saavedra has propped up the bottom of the speed charts. Luck got him into the 500 last year as a rookie, and he’ll need a lot more of it this year.
Driver: Pippa Mann
Team: Conquest Racing
Car No.: 36
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Pruett Says: Mann has shown flashes of speed as a rookie. If her team can unlock the speed necessary to make the field, she’ll throw down and drive her way into the race.
Driver: Graham Rahal
Team: Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing
Car No.: 38
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 7
Pruett Says: Rahal surprised everyone last year by qualifying seventh in a one-off for his father’s team. With a Ganassi car beneath him this year, he should make the Fast 9 and improve his starting spot.
Driver: Bruno Junqueira
Team: A.J. Foyt Racing
Car No.: 41
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 25
Miller Says: Always good at AJ's track.
Driver: John Andretti
Team: Andretti Autosport
Car No.: 43
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 28
Miller Says: On the border????
Driver: Buddy Rice
Team: Panther Racing
Car No.: 44
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Pruett Says: Rice will qualify in the top half of the field, but the real excitement could come on race day. Major sleeper here.
Driver: E.J. Viso
Team: KV Racing Technology
Car No.: 59
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 19
Miller Says: No drama but not enough speed to be happy.
Driver: Ed Carpenter
Team: Sarah Fisher Racing
Car No.: 67
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 8
Miller Says: Carpenter is just what SFR needed for Indy. A top 7 seems about right for this happy band of underdogs.
Driver: Alex Tagliani
Team: Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Car No.: 77
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 5
Miller Says: Three words: Alan MacDonald, pole. Showed last May speed was legit.
Driver: Simona De Silvestro
Team: HVM Racing
Car No.: 78
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 22
Miller Says: Backup car is as sad as her month.
Driver: Tony Kanaan
Team: KV Racing Technologies
Car No.: 82
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 33
Miller Says: Waiting for the race to flex his muscles.
Driver: Charlie Kimball
Team: Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
Car No.: 83
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Pruett Says: Kimball has been getting the hang of Indy with help from Arie Luyendyk. The kid should qualify, but towards the back.
Driver: Jay Howard
Team: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Car No.: 88
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Pruett Says: Compared to teammate Bertrand Baguette, Howard is missing some speed. Not a lock to make his first Indy 500 on his second try.
Driver: Dan Wheldon
Team: Bryan Herta Autosport
Car No.: 98
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 18
Miller Says: Loves IMS, it loves him.
Driver: Townsend Bell
Team: Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Car No.: 99
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 10
Pruett Says: Along with Tomas Scheckter, Bell is becoming a must-have driver for one-offs at Indy. His team is on the mark this year. Big dark horse here for a top 6 starting spot.
Driver: James Hinchcliffe
Team: Newman/Haas Racing
Car No.: 06
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: Did Not Participate
Miller Says: Got the hang of Indy in a hurry. Top 15.
Driver: Tomas Scheckter
Team: KV Racing/SH Racing
Car No.: 07
2010 Indy 500 Qualifying Position: 20
Miller Says: Top 20 would be good.
Tags: Indy 500
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